Pat Richards climbs the list of Wigan scorers in seeing off Bradford

Sunday 19 February 2012 16.15 EST
First published on Sunday 19 February 2012 16.15 EST

Pat Richards became the third most prolific player in the 117-year history of the Wigan club with a 16-point haul as the Warriors shrugged aside a Bradford challenge for which the description feeble would be generous.

Richards, a tall Australian wing whose nightmare first few months in Lancashire in 2006 now seem a long time ago, overtook the dual code New Zealand international Frano Botica's tally of 1,931 when he scored an opportunist first-half try.

He had already landed one touchline conversion to Josh Charnley's opener on the opposite flank but went on to endure an off day with the boot by his own high standards, kicking only six goals from nine attempts. Still, his 1,943 points have come at a healthy rate from only 183 appearances, although it is hard to see him climbing any further on Wigan's all-time list. Andy Farrell is second with 3,135 and Richards is not yet halfway towards the record held by Jim Sullivan, the great Welsh full-back who amassed 4,883, admittedly from 774 appearances in a career spanning 20 years.

"I'm not sure I can keep going long enough to get close to that," joked Richards, who turns 30 next Monday. "I was made aware of where I stood last week and, with Wigan being such a big club, it is very humbling to be up there with some of those names."

The other Australian on the Wigan team, the stand-off Brett Finch, was the outstanding player of a forgettable match on a glorious winter's afternoon at Odsal, steering his runners expertly into the many holes in the Bradford defence. The Bulls, having come into the game without six players, lost a seventh in the 10th minute when the half-back Luke Gale limped off with damaged ankle ligaments. Readjusting to the loss of the former Harlequins playmaker was always going to present them with a challenge, but it was one they failed miserably, as Gareth Hock followed Charnley and Richards over the line for a third Wigan try in the space of seven minutes that established a 16-0 lead.

The Bulls rallied, and even threatened to provide a contest, with tries from Jason Crookes and Jarrod Sammut, who made amends for twice failing to find touch with penalties by scampering 70 metres for a crowd-pleasing score. But a handling error from Tom Burgess gifted Wigan the position from which Chris Tuson surged over to re-establish a 12-point advantage by half-time and five minutes into the second half they were out of sight at 34-10.Tuson and Charnley each scored a second and there were two apiece for Darrell Goulding and Liam Farrell as the Bulls melted away, with a missed tackle by the unimpressive debutant Keith Lulia on Goulding beating off stiff competition as the lowlight of their collective effort.

To be fair, they were undone twice by the sheer brilliance of Sam Tomkins, who set up Charnley's second try with a pinpoint kick to follow a quicksilver break and then laid on Farrell's second with an audacious pass behind his back. But he and Wigan will be aware that far stiffer tests than this lie ahead, starting at Castleford next Sunday.